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y aT VINMOR TaN wh a eae ei UNEH RN AUGER LRTI ER ie WAAR RN ATR Ve RR 12 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Wed., October 10, 1979 Ko ta So ale TN 3 THR Sats Soh Ch a En, 3 Beath ejects councillor from chambers The price of coffee got a Durham Region councillor into hot water last week during a stormy session of Regional council which feat- ured several shouting matches between councillors and Chairman Walter Beath. Councillor Bill Clarke, who represents Newcastle, was ejected from the chambers after he got into a snarling debate with Mr. Beath over how much Durham should be paying for receptions and social functions. The council was debating a recommendation which would limit that kind of spending to $1000, when councillor Clarke got to his feet and demanded that the spending be kept to the "price of a cup of coffee." "I can eat and drink with the best of them," councillor Clarke proclaimed in a loud voice. "But the days of freeloading must stop." "If the council doesn't stop this kind of spending, the people who elect us will." After carrying on in this vein for a couple of minutes, councillor Clarke asked for an amendment to limit spending to the price of coffee. : The heated argument with Mr. Beath began when the chairman refused to allow the amendment. "I can't allow this amendment be- cause it does not say what the price of coffee is," he stated. Councillor Clarke persist- ed, demanding a further ex- planation as to why the chairman would not. allow his amendment on the floor. He glared at Mr. Beath, who on two occasions warn- ed him to take his seat or be thrown from the chambers. "I am not going to sit down," said an angry coun- cillor Clarke. Finally, an exasperated chairman Beath, his face red with anger, ordered Clarke to leave his seat for not respecting the decision of the chair. Clarke left the chambers but returned to his seat five minutes later. When he refused to apologize, he was ordered out a second time. He returned to the chambers about 18 minutes later, this time taking a'seat in the visitors gallery, where he stayed for the remainder of the meeting. Clarke's actions didn't sit well with some of his fellow councillors, and at one point during the shouting and screaming, Oshawa councill- or Alan Dewar got to his feet to condemn the antics as being nothing more than a spectacle for political CASIMIR STRE © ET - PORT PERRY || (First Building West off Water Street) Opening Thursday, October 11th at 9:00 A.M. reasons. After the dust had cleared, the council easily approved the original resolution which limits the spending on social functions to $1000, and if more than that is to be spent, it must get prior approval from the council. The outburst by councillor Clarke was almost typical of the way business is being conducted at the twice monthly meetings of Region- al council. Hoots and hollers, shout- ing, name calling, and gener- ally disruptive behavior on the part of some members is becoming more and more common, and while it may make bright copy for the press, the affect on a tax- payer who happened to be sitting in the gallery would be shocking. Later on in the meeting, an important motion concern- ing Newcastle had to be tabled for two weeks, because Mr. Clarke was not present, and the Mayor of that community was back home getting ready for a fancy reception to open a new water works plant that same afternoon. The shouting had barely died down over the price of a cup of coffee, when two Oshawa city councillors ex- changed heated remarks ac- ross the floor of the chambers. That flurry between coun- cillors Ed Kolodzie and John DeHart was touched off by an article in an Oshawa paper which said that coun- cillor Kolodzie had had a private meeting with provin- cial social services minister Keith Norton over a $1000,000 shortfall in the Region's social services budget. Councillor DeHart, who is chairman of the Region's social services committee, said Kolodzie's meeting with the minister actually took place in the corridor outside the minister's office at Queen's Park, and lasted all of 32 seconds. "You didn't tell that to the newspaper," said DeHart in a mocking voice. He then went on to say that Kolodzie is "'a stranger to the truth." That remark coming from councillor DeHart, was greeted by applause by other members of council, who are upset that Kolodzie would take it upon himself to seek a meeting with. Norton over the social services budget, while a top-level delegation from Durham is waiting for a meeting with the minister in an effort to have the social' services budget increased by $100,000 to make up a short- fall this year. Kolodzie and DeHart have absolutely no love for each other, and almost every council meeting they seem to get into some kind of shout- ing match. Kolodzie did not deny De- Hart's accusation that his meeting with the minister lasted just 32 seconds, but he said only that the length of that meeting was not the important thing. Kolodzie feels that the social services department from Durham should make up the $100,000 from monies not spent so far in 1979, rather than go to the provin- cial government for addit- ional funds. He claims that Mr. Norton was receptive to his arguments along that line. IMPORTANT BUSINESS Despite the cackling at times during the regular session of council October 3, members did manage to pass an important resolution which will allow member- ship in the standing committ- ees of council to be altered this year. The standing committees are selected at the beginning of each term of new council, and usually they remain in- tact for the full two year term of the council. Last week, a motion came on the floor that the composi- tion of the committees not be changed this year. However, this motion was rejected, on a tie vote broken by Mr. Beath. It means that the committee membership can be altered this year, and likely there will be recom- mendations for changes at the next few meetings of council. FOOTWEAR :i4¢ = Re Mp = for the SS Pattersons of Port ] oy We 2 197 Queen St. - 985-8332 | Whole Family | 3 { | LLADRO - WATERFORD 25% OFF e| : CANDLES & CANDLE HOLDERS | 15% OFF 4 STUFFED ANIMALS i Ry LIN a 25% OFF Many Other Fall Values. AND MANY MORE SPECIALS ON FOOTWEAR Names like - North Star, Cougar Tender Tootsies & Penman.